In many industries, it is necessary or desirable to coat free ends of an elongate shaft with a substance to alter the properties of the shaft where the coating is disposed. For example, when working on mechanical structures such as vehicle engines or in other environments, it is frequently desirable to coat threaded shafts with an anti-seize compound so that after the threaded shaft has been secured to a component by means of a nut, and after the nut and threaded shaft have been exposed to severe environments such as repeated heat change, the presence of solvents or corrosives, etc. the nut will not have become "frozen" upon the bolt or threaded shaft so that the nut is still capable of removal through the use of wrench. Heretofore, threaded shafts and nuts not so treated with anti-seize compound may have to be cut or cracked off.
In addition, other trades such as plumbing sometimes require the use of flux when soldering pipes. Similarly, a liquid gasket-forming compound, commercially known as "Liquid Teflon" is sometimes desired to be applied along an area of an elongate shaft or pipe.
Many of these coating substances share in common certain attributes for which the structure and methodology of the instant invention give response and harness in a beneficial way. The substances are characterized in having a high viscosity, a relatively high density and consequently have the affinity to adhere to all things with which it contacts. Frequently these substances create a mess when contacting unwanted articles.
Various instrumentalities, known to exist in the past, have attempted to address some of the problems noted hereinabove at least for certain substances having similar characteristics. The following patents reflect the state of the art of which applicant is aware and these patents are tendered herewith to discharge applicant's acknowledged duty to disclose prior art. It is respectfully submitted, however, that none of these patents teach singly or render obvious when considered in any conceivable combination the nexus of applicant's invention as set forth hereinafter and as especially claimed.
______________________________________ INVENTOR PATENT NO. ISSUE DATE ______________________________________ Perine July 9, 1889 406,665 Carson December 30, 1919 1,326,389 Schmuziger May 21, 1929 1,714,482 Westphal November 21, 1933 1,936,219 Koepke November 13, 1951 2,574,744 Leding August 6, 1985 4,533,019 Jochum August 26, 1986 4,607,727 ______________________________________
For example, the patent to Koepke teaches the use of a lubricator in which a spring-biased valve allows cooperation with an interior of a lubricant-containing compartment. This device is actuated by depressing the tip or nozzle from the FIG. 1 position to the FIG. 2 position, as by placing it in tangential registry with the area to be lubricated. This axial translation of a center core of the Koepke device seals off ports from a lubrication reservoir and forces the lubrication out the nozzle. By way of contrast, the instant invention does not deliver the viscous substance at pressure and out a nozzle, but allows an elongate object such as a shaft to overcome a check valve and become coated with the viscous substance while inside the well area that contains the viscous substance. Subsequent ejection of the bolt shaft by the energy stored in a spring that works with the check valve pushes the shaft out and then means uniformly removes excess coating from the shaft so that the disposition of the viscous substance on the shaft is appropriate for subsequent, immediate utilization.
The patent to Schmuziger teaches the use for a device to facilitate the discharge of paint or the like in which a "lid" is loosely placed on the liquid in a container. Access to the liquid below the lid is facilitated by means of a central opening communicating with an upwardly extending funnel. The instant invention is distinguished over this patent in a multiplicity of ways. For one, this patent does not give adequate response to a scenario which would include the container being inverted. For another, the substance held within the container is exposed to air and therefore may be susceptible to degradation.
The remaining citations show the state of the art further.